KUALA LUMPUR — DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng is lodging a police report on the missing RM19.52 billion Goods and Service Tax (GST) refunds from its trust account.
In a statement today, Lim said the police report will give former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak no excuses in answering queries related to the missing funds that have affected 121,29 companies and individuals.
“Datuk Seri Najib has so far refused to clear the air about his involvement as finance minister in this matter and said I should lodge a police report.
“My full cooperation with the police proves that the new government wants the truth to prevail,” he said in the statement.
Lim asked if Najib, who was also then finance minister, had authorised GST refunds to not be made within two weeks as required by the law.
The Bagan MP also asked if Najib had approved the decision by former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar to not transfer the full RM82.9 billion in refunds as requested by the Malaysian Royal Customs Department, and instead only returned RM63.5 billion since 2015.
“Did Datuk Seri Najib approve that the GST refunds not paid back since 2015, were to be recognised as government revenue instead and used as the government pleased?
“The government faces a shortfall of RM19.25 billion because there is only RM148.6 million in the GST Refunds Trust account, when there should be RM19.4 billion,” Lim added.
The Finance Ministry has since launched an internal investigation into the missing billions of GST refunds from the trust account, seeking to establish the circle of decision makers from the previous administration who were responsible for the missing sum.
Najib had on August 10 claimed the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government had to use up the consolidated trust funds following its move to zerorise GST since June 1.
He said the money used from the trust funds were meant to be used for GST refunds, but was instead used for government expenses as the Sales and Services Tax (SST) has yet to be implemented to replace the GST. – MALAY MAIL
Cops to record Guan Eng’s statement over missing GST refunds
THE police will record Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s statement next week over his disclosure that RM19.25 billion GST refunds are missing.
“My full cooperation with the police proves that the new government wants the truth to prevail,” said the Bagan MP in a statement today.
The police investigation is over Lim’s previous announcement that Barisan Nasional had “robbed” GST refunds and due to that, there was a shortfall of RM19 billion not paid to traders since 2015.
Following that, former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin lodged a police report over the matter and wanted the case to be brought to court if there was such a “robbery”.
Former prime minister Najib Razak meanwhile told Lim to lodge a police report over the missing GST refunds from the government’s consolidated revenue account.
He said Lim should clearly state that the money was stolen by BN, instead of pointing fingers at the previous administration.
Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, reiterated his three questions to Najib regarding the GST refunds.
He said Najib should answer if he authorised the GST refunds to be delayed although refunds had to be made in two weeks as required by the law.
“Secondly, did Najib approve the decision by Irwan Serigar, the former treasury secretary-general, not to transfer the full RM82.9 billion as requested by Customs, but only RM63.5 billion, with these refunds stretching back to 2015?” he asked.
The third question was if Najib had wanted the funds to be recognised as government revenue instead and used as the government pleased.
He added that Najib has so far refused to clear the air about his involvement as finance minister in this matter.
“A huge number of 121,429 companies and individuals affected by this scandal are now wondering why RM19.4 billion in the GST Refunds Trust Account was not returned to them within two weeks as required by law,” he said. – THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
MALAY MAIL / THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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